The rise of artificial intelligence and robots in the 4th Industrial Revolution: implications for future South African job creation

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Adoption: Challenges in South African Higher Education Institutions

“…In addition, for the Afrocentric fanatics, the 4IR goes against the Afrocentric theory, which promotes the view that every phenomenon and community of Africa can never be interpreted and comprehensively understood by scholars who reside outside Africa. This makes it challenging to adopt and support the perception that the 4IR is incompatible with African values (Rapanyane & Sethole, 2020). Furthermore, South Africa's 11 official languages present a unique challenge to engage with various speakers.…”

Machine Ethics and African Identities: Perspectives of Artificial Intelligence in Africa

“…Graph 6: Total employment and vulnerable employment in Sub-Saharan Africa For example, the unemployment rate in South Africa for the first quarter of 2022 was 63,9 % for those aged 15-24 and 42,1 % for those aged 25-34 years according to official figures (stats-sa, 2022). AI and social robots were expected to take further jobs, and the 4thIR was regarded as triggering the worst imaginable reality for jobs in South Africa (Rapanyane & Sethole, 2020). According to a study published in 2018, it was estimated that around 5.7 million South African could lose their jobs because of automation in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) (Hansrajh, 2020).…”

“…The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) created great expectations in Africa. It has been hailed as the fourth industrial revolution that could also improve significantly the wellbeing of Africans and even augment the performance of weak and fragile states in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Rapanyane & Sethole, 2020). A paper of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (EPRS) of the European Parliamentary Research Service suggested that AI might solve some of the most pressing problems in SSA, from agricultural yields to providing secure financial services, and called for a pooling of resources and a pan-African strategy on AI, given the insufficient commitment of individual governments to date vis à vis a proactive approach to AI policy (Bird, et al, 2020;Cisse, 2018).…”

The Impact of the Energy-Induced EU Recession on Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Graph 12: SSA regional economic outlook at a glance, IMF, October 2021 For example, the unemployment rate in South Africa for the first quarter of 2022 was 63,9 % for those aged 15-24 and 42,1 % for those aged 25-34 years according to official figures (stats-sa, 2022). AI and social robots were expected to take further jobs, and the 4thIR was regarded as triggering the worst imaginable reality for jobs in South Africa (Rapanyane & Sethole, 2020). According to a study published in 2018, it was estimated that around 5.7 million South African could lose their jobs because of automation in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) (Hansrajh, 2020).…”